If LEGO sets are anything to go by, the Riddler is a villain who likes fast cars. Every set focused on him has included some sort race car in the build and often the name. 70903 continues the trend but also thankfully breaks a different one – Riddler inspired sets being mediocre.

The High Points

The word I would use for this set is balanced. LEGO sometimes struggles with this price bracket, alternating between sets which sacrifice the model for minifigures while others are a decent model but fall short on people to occupy it. 70903, however, scores well on both counts.

Nearly every set from The LEGO Batman Movie boasts a generous number of minifigures and this offering is no exception – furthermore the delightful trend of digging into the deepest recesses of Batman’s Rogues Gallery continues with the inclusion of some pretty ‘out there’ villains. The highlight here is Calendar Man who sports an exclusive cape which is equal parts ridiculous and delightful. He is joined by Kite-Man, a villain who I thought could not be as generic as his name implies but found on further research that he really is just a dude who uses a kite to commit crimes, along with a very sinister looking Magpie. These three join the titular Riddler who sports a new molded headpiece and an amazingly detailed torso that oozes with the character’s personality.

The Low Points

There is almost nothing in this set not to love. The only part of it which I didn’t really like was the headlights on the car. Constructed of small windows and panes, appearing her perhaps for the first time in trans yellow, they look too large in comparison to the rest of the build. In addition, the spring loaded missiles, when raised into firing position, lift the headrest of the car which can slightly displace the Riddler if he is sitting in the driver’s seat.

The Build

If you own any of the Speed Racer sets from the mid-2000s you should first of all be congratulated for possessing some excellent sets which were largely overlooked due to the movie’s poor performance. You will also recognise a lot of the techniques used in building the Riddler’s car – they feel very similar. A variety of smooth slopes come together to create a visually appealing vehicle. Much like the Joker’s Lowrider, the rear of the vehicle contains a mechanism for discharging spring loaded missiles, but unlike in the Clown Prince of Gotham’s car, these fire forward not backward when the rear of the caris tilted. A concealed machine gun chassis hidden beneath the hood of the car completes the Riddler’s armaments. I have been impressed with how the vehicles in this line really reflect the personalities of their owners. The Batmobile is ridiculous, the Joker’s Lowrider is ostentatious, Penguin’s car is compensating for something and the Riddler’s vehicle is sleek and fast. They are all very distinctive, exactly as they should be.

Conclusion

Vehicles for Batman’s most famous adversaries are the most prolific type of set to emerge from The LEGO Batman Movie and 70903 The Riddler Riddle Racer is a great example of them which I highly recommend. 70903 boats a perfect ride for the Riddler along with an impressive and hilarious cast of additional figures. Getting all of this for such a reasonable price is the cherry on top.